Israel builds the wall — underground — to block tunnels

Israel is constructing a wall that will cover 60 miles of land around its border with the Gaza Strip in an effort to thwart Hamas terror tunnels.

Israeli soldiers drill holes on the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip as they search for Hamas terror tunnels. /AFP

The concrete structure, at a cost of $570 million, will be built tens of meters above and below ground and will be similar to the “West Bank barrier separating Israelis from violent Palestinians in Judea and Samaria,” Ynet reported on June 16.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Jewish state was forced to build the barriers to “protect Israel against beasts” who seek to carry out attacks against Jews. He made the comments earlier this year while touring a new security fence near the southern Israeli city of Eilat which was being built along Israel’s border with Jordan.

After Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened attacks against Israeli citizens in nearby villages, the IDF decided to construct a similar wall around some sections of the Israeli-Lebanon border.

Rights activists have protested Israel’s construction of the barriers, claiming they inhibit Palestinians’ ability to easily commute, but Israeli security forces insist the walls are necessary and have no doubt contributed to a decrease in suicide bombings and other attacks in areas where the walls have been completed.